JaBistro — Restaurant in Toronto

The last time I was in Toronto was over 20 yrs ago and I came to go to Medieval Times (!!) and also ate at some very mediocre, strange restaurant that rotated high above the city. Weird, vague memories. But also that was during my weird, vague marriage…

This time I was on a 4 day road trip driving a big loop from Central Vermont out to Niagara Falls, NY over to Toronto and then to Montreal and finally back down to Vermont because I had tickets to Jon Batiste in concert in both Toronto and Montreal on back-to-back nights. So I did my research and created a Yelp collection of potential restaurants for dinner in Toronto.

If you’re new to this channel let me tell you that sushi/Japanese cuisine is my JAM and so that’s what I looked for in Toronto. I chose JaBistro because the vibe looked like my thing (I mainly dine alone, so I like to sit at the bar) and they opened at 5, which would give me a few hours before 8pm show time. I hate to be rushed when I’m eating out. My plan is to enjoy my time and my meal and my sake.

Actual Omakase does not seem to have really reached Canada. But JaBistro has an “Omaskase menu” which is basically table service Omakase: it’s not piece by piece, it’s served in “sets” because apparently there is no interaction with the sushi chefs here?? And by “here” I mean Canada, because I had the same experience in Montreal. I greatly dislike the “social stratification” being enforced in these restaurants by not allowing the guests to interact with the chefs. By this I mean that the chef has the waitperson my dish and then that person serves me. Even though I am sitting there, directly in front of the chef. This is not correct service. This is silly, “Old World”/“European” classism.

It didn’t occur to me to make a reservation to sit at the counter at 5pm on a Tuesday. Which I think is a result of the fact that I forgot Toronto is like a legit big city?? Whoops. They were able to seat me and I ordered a lovely bottle of Sake (good Sake selection). I ordered the dinner Omakase and was able to request a substitute for the wagyu beef (I don’t eat beef, pork or poultry).

The Lobster Miso was INCREDIBLY GOOD!! They substituted salmon for the Wagyu carpaccio and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. An amazing dish. Sashimi and sushi pieces were good. “Pressed rolls” were weird? Meh.

I pushed the boundaries and ordered two more things: Bistro Salad (one of the best salads I’ve ever had - truly excellent); and the Agedashi.

O.M.G. That huge bowl of Agedashi was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. (They even gave me extra broth when I asked.) I’d consider driving back to Toronto just to eat that again. WOW.

Next time I’d actually skip the Omakase because the menu items were so spectacular and I was officially, uncomfortably full by the...

I’ve had some of the best sushi and sashimi at this restaurant by far. Great service, atmosphere, and both food and drinks. It’s a high quality dining experience that justifies the price tag.

The restaurant is long and narrow but doesn’t feel crowded. The decor is fairly minimal and I find the focus is more on the dining experience.

Our server was very attentive and engaging throughout our stay while not being overbearing. She was very knowledgeable about the food and was approachable if you want to ask what’s the best sauce to put on which sushi, or how to eat something, etc. to get the best out of your experience.

I had the fixed price menu. The lobster miso soup was the first course. It was a flavourful broth. I did notice that my friend had a sizeable chunk of lobster in their soup whereas mine didn’t. It would have been nice to have actual lobster meat in mine too, but I just got the broth.

The next course was a wagyu carpaccio. The arugula was fresh and crisp. The cheese went really well with the beef.

We had a sashimi assortment next, which was excellent. Every item was fresh and tasted great. I’m not sure what they did to prepare the shrimp, but it was delicious and was my favourite out of the plate.

The sushi also tasted fresh and each one was delicious. I’m not typically a sushi person, but each bite made you want to pause and appreciate the different flavours and textures you were getting. It was actually a bit of an emotional experience to get that kind of quality.

The dessert course was a panna cotta which was perfect. The caramel sauce had a deep, rich flavour. The panna cotta itself was in my opinion the perfect texture and consistency.

I had three cocktails throughout the dinner and they all had a way of managing great flavours without being too much. I don’t like sweet drinks and their drinks get to a point that just reaches close to that bar but are able to tie it to other strong flavours like fresh citrus in order to even it out.

All in all, a great experience and very easy to recommend if you’re looking for a more upscale restaurant that serves great food and don’t mind...

I came in on my birthday as a last minute booking which I was excited about from great things I’ve heard about this place although I booked in for 9:30 pm and unfortunately was caught in traffic I called them to let them know and ask if it was okay immediately they double checked said it was fine and that I’d be there at 10:45 pm. I was 2 mins past 10:45 due to parking and immediately was called then hit with attitude in regards to it which I did understand at first since they close at 10:30 pm and do last calls but the energy was intimidating. I arrived with my friend & the staff just looked very annoyed we were there to begin with as last customers. There was a couple checking out as we came in which us the only ones there. Now I feel it the couple never left or it there were others around that treatment wouldn’t of been more so present but me and my friend took in it’s because it just us & they wanted to leave work. Anyways throughout the meal they kept making it apparent they were annoyed & closing, started closing duties right away, kept looking over at our table walking by, we felt very rushed and we were already rushing because we felt bad to begin with. I never experienced this at restaurants near closing at all. It’s one thing to begin closing duties but another when your making it very obvious and making us feel guilty that we are there even though we are paying & you’ve accepted the booking. So we definitely rushed our meal really fast, they brought over a birthday dish but as soon after 3 mins past from when it was given we got the closing warning again we we had to eat the ice cream fast. I just feel it their energy wasn’t so obvious it wouldn’t of left us feeling unwanted & guilty. They even turned on a loud fan afterwards that has to be on overnight I assume when we were mid eating it was all just signs from them to let us know to just hurry up completely or let’s make them uncomfortable enough to hurry up I guess. First impressions are important and I know perhaps on other days the girls are kind but I just wish it didn’t go that way. Anyways the food was great overall and the place...